The first thing you'll notice about the new Kapex
from Festool is that you can back your saw stand right
up to a wall--or even a window! The dual, stationary
rails extend over the front of the saw base. Unlike
the Hitachi version, the Kapex rails do not slide to
the back of the saw. Because the rails are stationary
and set wide apart, I found the saw cut smoother and
straighter than any 10 in. miter saw I've ever used,
and much better than a 12 in. saw.

Though it looks heavy, with a honeycomb
magnesium-alloy base, the Kapex weighs only 47 lbs.,
making it the lightest 10-in. sliding compound saw
on the market.

The switch and safety trigger are also unusual. First,
the handle is centered on the machine to keep feed pressure
in line with the cut, which minimizes deflection or
racking on the rails. Also, until the safety trigger
is squeezed, the saw can not be lowered, or the guard
retracted. The motor will not start
unless the safety trigger is completely engaged and
the safety switch is also depressed. I found the combination
of switch and trigger, plus their position high on the
handle, cumbersome compared to other saws with T-handles.

The bevel lock is at the top rear of the rails and
easy to reach. Flip the lock lever up to release the
guide-rail assembly. Like the Bosch miter saw, you can
set the stop knob so the saw swings 45degrees to the
left and stops vertically at 0 in the center. A second
position on the stop knob allows the saw to swing 45
degrees in both directions. The last position allows
the saw to swing 47 degrees, plus or minus.

You can dial a bevel angle to within
1/2 degree on the Kapex because the radius of the
bevel gauge is about 7 in. No other saw has such
a large bevel gauge. Only the digital gauge on the
Hitachi is more accurate.Gauge pointers are on both
sides of the saw.

Best of all, the right-hand rail
is equipped with a gear-driven twist knob that allows
precise bevel-angle control, without having to support
the weight of the motor with your hand or shoulder.
Bevel-angle adjustment is stepless, without troublesome
detents--for the first time, real micro-fine adjustment
is possible on a miter saw. This saw is exceptional
when cutting material on the flat.

A unique latch behind the motor locks
the saw in the ideal position for cutting vertically
(the 'chop' position). The green lever beneath my
thumb lowers the latch. The green lever to the right
releases the latch. On Festool tools, the color
green denotes a functional part.

Locking the motor in the chop position makes
it much easier to cut baseboard standing up, with
a maximum height of 4 5/8 in. Like other miter
saws today, the Kapex cuts tall material behind
the arbor.

But there's very little wiggle room
back there, so the saw must be locked in the chop
position; installing an accessory wooden fence isn't
possible. When mitering 45 degrees to the right, the
space between the miter fence and the motor housing
is approximately 7/8; thicker 1- in. baseboard will
not fit.

Dust collection is also better on the Kapex than
any other miter saw I've used. The two-piece collection
port works best when cutting on-the-flat. When cutting
material vertically, like baseboard, the lower rubber
dust scoop hangs up on baseboard taller than 3 1/2 in.
But a convenient spring clamp makes it easy to remove
the rubber scoop.

This saw also does a great job of cutting dados--with
excellent depth-of-cut control. Like most saws, the
work piece must be positioned and supported by an accessory
fence or blocking, beneath the center of the blade.
Pulling the green lever forward (above right) locks
the depth of cut; twisting the knob on top of the lever
reliably adjusts the depth of cut.

The Kapex is also equipped with an accurate dual-line
adjustable laser that casts extremely thin lines. I
found that when cutting tall baseboard (over 3 1/2 in.),
the laser wasn't able to cast a line on both sides of
the blade at the measurement mark on top of the material,
something related to the forward position of the saw
motor and a minor inconvenience. On shorter material,
especially crown molding, the lines are perfect.

For cutting on-the-flat, these laser lines are better
than all the other lasers I've 'tried' and abandoned.
In fact, the lines are so crisp that they don't interfere
with my sharp 2 1/2- lead pencil lines. And, for precise
cuts, the laser is so reliable that I found myself making
only one false cut.

Though both lasers are adjustable, mine were almost
spot on right out of the box. I was able to cut self-return
caps, and even a four-sided pendent, with perfectly
parallel opposing miters, something I've never been
able to do on any other saw. Because of the stationary
forward rails, and the wide spread of the rails, the
saw has no deflection when cutting bevels on the flat;
even compound miters are easy to cut smooth and straight,
without applying pressure to counter the blade's torque.

Adjusting the laser lines is a snap.
Both the right and the left laser can be adjusted
individually, so that the lines are right
on the tips of your blade teeth, and both can be
adjusted so the 'toe' of each line is perfectly
parallel to the cut.

Another great innovation on this saw is the design
of the base. Both ends of the Kapex are die cast
with a V-Shape

Festool offers short crown-stop extensions
that clamp to the sides of the base and are perfectly
flush. My first thought was: "Couldn't Sawhelper
make a coupler like that?"

Personally, I prefer to cut crown using a continuous
sacrificial stop. I find that long pieces tend to move
around a bit if the material is secured with individual
short stops. But these stops are super handy and they're
easy to set up. I'll probably use them for small jobs.
Beneath the left-hand crown stop, notice the angle finder
slid into it's nest in the saw base.

The Festool angle finder is another
handy tool. You won't need a protractor for bisecting
a miter again.

Extend the two metal arms out beyond the pivot
point, and read the angle of a corner. Then slide
the metal arms back into their stored positions.

With the metal arms slid back into
position, place the angle finder on the bed of the
saw and adjust the saw's miter angle until one of
the laser lines falls on the center line.

Festool still doesn't have a firm availability date
or price for this saw, but like most Festool tools, expect
it will be available a few months later than expected,
and probably double the price of any other slide saw.
I've been told the saw should be available by early/mid-summer.